James Taranto of Best of

James Taranto of Best of the Web demonstrates mocking disregard for civil rights when he gladly cites poll data to show that people who care about liberty are out of touch with most Americans. The data show most Americans approving of such things as indefinite, secret state imprisonment for trivial offenses and the ability of the state to legally eavesdrop on conversations between the accused and their defenders. Taranto seems quite pleased that the populace's “overriding priority is to win the war.” However, there is no clear indication that these policies are helping to win the war. And it is disturbing that an emergency can so easily cause so many Americans to disregard the importance of other people's rights.